General

Even through the window, Monk Zhongcheng's sarcastic voice carried straight inside, making Chen Wu not want to deal with him at all.

Monk Zhongcheng, however, showed no awareness that he was an unwelcome guest. As if entering his own meditation room, he pushed open the door and came in. Seeing that Chen Wu was still eating his flatbread without a hint of panic, he picked up a teacup from the table nearby and handed Chen Wu some tea.

Chen Wu didn't stand on ceremony. He took the cup, finished chewing the last piece of flatbread, tilted his head back and drank the tea, then finally looked up at Monk Zhongcheng, satisfied.

" as I recall, Master was reciting scriptures and praying for Old Madam Shui. It's no surprise you appeared in the Shui Family Garden. But how did you know I was here?"

"Amitabha. Yesterday, you drew your sword and stabbed Qiao Weisheng without so much as a greeting. This humble monk grew curious and followed you here. You had already been struck by the Yin-Yang Chaos Finger and were suffering from a clash of cold and heat. You never noticed me."

"I suppose I should thank you for not reporting me to the authorities."

"Matters of the martial world should be settled within the martial world. This humble monk is a man beyond the secular world; how could I involve the authorities so lightly?" Monk Zhongcheng seemed not to hear Chen Wu's sarcasm. He smiled and said, "Besides, you still owe this humble monk a match. If the authorities arrested you, I wouldn't know who to look for."

Ha, this martial arts maniac's last sentence was the only one he really meant, wasn't it?

"Master, you've seen for yourself. I'm badly injured. Our match will have to wait."

"No rush, no rush. This humble monk isn't unreasonable." Monk Zhongcheng said, "I didn't come to challenge you. I came at someone's request."

"Who?"

"General Fubo, Shui Ziyi. He wants to meet you."

Chen Wu was startled. Had he been exposed?

"I'm right here in the Shui Family Garden. If he wants to see me, he can come himself. Why send you to pass on the message?"

"The general doesn't know you're here. He simply thought that this humble monk has friends throughout the martial world, so he asked me to help find you."

Friends throughout the martial world? Had he made them with his fists?

"Is General Shui interested in the authorities' bounty too?"

"You jest. The Shui family is a wealthy clan in Jincheng Prefecture. They hardly lack for a little money like that." Monk Zhongcheng smiled. "The general thinks there are many suspicious aspects to Qiao Weisheng's death and wants to meet you, hoping to get to the bottom of things."

"If you're worried it's a trap, you needn't meet the general. Just tell this humble monk what you know, and I'll pass it on to him."

"Why does Shui Ziyi care so much about Qiao Weisheng? Were they friends?"

"There's something you don't know. Qiao Weisheng was one of the backers of the Investigation of Things School. The one who used the Yin-Yang Chaos Finger to injure you yesterday was Yang Yuchun, a leading figure in the School of Heavenly Principle. The entire Crown Prince's Mansion tacitly supports the School of Heavenly Principle. The two schools' relationship at court is delicate, and Qiao Weisheng died at such a time—and right in front of Yang Yuchun. It's quite unusual."

"Though the general has retired, his son still serves at court." Monk Zhongcheng smiled inscrutably. "For the sake of his descendants, he must get to the bottom of things, lest political strife at court spill over onto them."

The more Chen Wu listened, the more uneasy he became. He'd stumbled into a huge whirlpool.

Even now, Chen Wu still didn't understand what the schools of Great Shun actually were. But based on what he'd seen over the past few days, they seemed to be alliances of cultivation sects that shared similar ideals.

Their approaches to martial arts cultivation and their philosophical views were probably alike.

For instance, the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower, where Chen Wu belonged, was part of the Yongjiu School. Its motto was, "Leaderless Dragons, Great Fortune Under Heaven." Old Jin and the late Qiao Weisheng had both mentioned it.

With the knowledge of a top university graduate, Chen Wu naturally knew it came from the Book of Changes: "With the Nine in the Fifth, dragons appear without a leader. Good fortune."

The School of Heavenly Principle and the Investigation of Things School wielded such influence at court; they were clearly no small fry. Getting caught between two behemoths like them was truly rotten luck.

"For six hundred and sixty silver yuan in incense money, Master is certainly going to great lengths."

"The six hundred and sixty silver yuan was an offering to White Pagoda Temple, not to this humble monk." Monk Zhongcheng shook his head. "I'm only temporarily staying at White Pagoda Temple. The silver yuan has nothing to do with me."

"Then what did General Shui promise you?"

"If I find you, he'll introduce me to a Concentrated Spirit Realm expert from the Sea-Pacifying Palace, so I can spar with him."

Of course. He knew it would be something like that.

"That's your business, Master. What does it have to do with me?"

Monk Zhongcheng smiled as he took out an exquisitely patterned medal. Its enamel surface depicted an anchor.

"During the Battle of Trincomalee, General Fubo personally led his sailors in boarding the enemy ship first. They captured a third-rate battleship belonging to the English East India Company, and the emperor rewarded him with this Sea-Suppressing Medal."

"If you're willing to meet him, you can use this medal in the future to ask the general for a favor."

Chen Wu didn't respond, and seemed not to understand the medal's significance, so Monk Zhongcheng added, "As long as you're within Jincheng Prefecture, even if the authorities arrest you, the general can keep you safe once, thanks to his influence."

It wasn't that Chen Wu didn't understand the medal's significance. He understood it all too well, and was so shaken that he hadn't answered right away.

The mention of the Battle of Trincomalee and the East India Company made him realize he'd greatly underestimated General Shui. The man was no pushover.

From what he remembered of his reading in his previous life, Trincomalee was probably in Sri Lanka, and the British East India Company was famous throughout the world. The Battle of Trincomalee was likely the battle in which Great Shun established its dominance over the Indian Ocean. No, going by Great Shun's terminology, it should be called the Indian Ocean, to distinguish it from Europa's Atlantic Ocean.

This General Shui had captured an East India Company battleship here. He was clearly a ruthless figure, the sort who'd deserve a biography by Little John—not some general who'd simply climbed the ranks by seniority.

Seen that way, this medal was a bit like Old Ma's jade pendant. Both were a kind of face-fruit, but the general's was clearly far more powerful than Old Ma's.

"What level of cultivation has the general reached?" Chen Wu asked.

"He's an old hand at the Circulation Realm. Before this humble monk mastered Tummo, I was about evenly matched with him."

"He hasn't reached the Concentrated Spirit Realm?"

"Don't worry. He hasn't reached the Concentrated Spirit Realm yet. He's no match for you."

But I'm not at the Concentrated Spirit Realm! I can't even send my true qi outside my body. Against a Circulation Realm expert, I'd still be on my knees.

"Well... I can't give you an answer right away." Chen Wu thought it over and decided to stall for now. "I need to discuss this with Old Ma. Please pass on a message to him and tell him I'm hiding here to recover from my injuries."

"Certainly." Monk Zhongcheng pressed his palms together. "I'll inform Old Mr. Ma as soon as possible."

Old Ma came far too quickly!

It was the dead of night. Chen Wu had just circulated his energy around his body and was about to stop and rest.

Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock...

A familiar rhythm sounded at the door.

Chen Wu stopped his cultivation, got up, and opened the door for Old Ma.

Old Ma was dressed in black night clothes. He looked around before stepping inside.

"That was a clean job, Chen Gawa!" Old Ma said approvingly, pulling the mask from his face.

Chen Wu froze for a moment before realizing Old Ma meant the assassination of Qiao Weisheng. He couldn't help laughing ruefully.

"Don't say that. I didn't do it."

"So there's more to it?" Old Ma immediately caught the implication.

Chen Wu sighed helplessly and told Old Ma everything, including how Qiao Weisheng had paid to have him assassinated.

After listening, Old Ma furrowed his brows. "So after Qiao Weisheng went back, someone used your assassination attempt as cover and killed him sometime before dawn today."

"But there are two things I can't figure out. First, why did Qiao Weisheng fake his death? Second, before faking his death, he must have asked Guo Xuchu to guard him closely. How did the killer get past Guo Xuchu?"

Chen Wu added, "There's another suspicious point. Why did Qiao Weisheng suddenly come to Jincheng Prefecture? His Zhong'an Bank branches are everywhere. What was so special about a small branch in Jincheng Prefecture that he had to come in person, and stay for more than half a month?"

Old Ma stroked his beard and nodded. "Exactly. The bounty appeared on the black market before Qiao Weisheng arrived in Jincheng Prefecture. Could the two be connected?"

Smack—

Hearing Old Ma's words, Chen Wu suddenly realized he'd overlooked something and slapped his thigh.

"Since Qiao Weisheng knew he'd been placed under a bounty, he was clever enough to figure out that I'd come to assassinate him once he learned I was from the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower. Even Zhang Iron Ruler could figure that out. There's no way Qiao Weisheng couldn't."

"Exactly!" Old Ma suddenly understood too. "Perhaps Qiao Weisheng asked you to assassinate him because he saw you were highly skilled but hadn't made a move, and he couldn't get the better of you, so he threw out thirty thousand silver yuan to buy you off?"

"That may have been one reason, but it definitely wasn't the only one." Chen Wu said firmly, "I have a feeling Qiao Weisheng had planned this whole charade of faking his death well in advance. Even if I hadn't made a move, he would've found someone else. There's no shortage of desperadoes in this world."

"Ha! So being used was an accident." Old Ma laughed. "Our Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower has always taken the blame for others. You could say it's your line of work."

"That's true. There's no use thinking about it. I'm stuck with the blame either way." Chen Wu said helplessly. "I didn't ask you here to talk about that. The owner of the Shui Family Garden wants to meet me. Do you think I should?"

Old Ma hurriedly asked for details, so Chen Wu told him about General Shui's request and the offer he'd made.

After hearing Chen Wu out, Old Ma stroked his beard and thought for a moment before speaking. "General Shui has a sterling reputation in Jincheng Prefecture. He's a man of his word. It would be excellent to make his acquaintance."

"So I can meet him?"

"You can, but we'll decide when and where."

"My body should recover by the day after tomorrow. I'll leave the arrangements to you then."

"Good." Old Ma agreed, then pulled a stack of silver notes from his robe. "The payment for Qiao Weisheng's assassination has come through. Since you took the blame, you might as well take the money with a clear conscience. Same as always, thirty-seventy split."

"How come I only get thirty percent?"

"My share is thirty percent! You get seventy!" Old Ma snapped, stuffing the silver notes into Chen Wu's hand. "Three thousand five hundred silver yuan! Take it and use it for your coffin!"

With that, Old Ma put on his mask, opened the door, climbed onto the roof, and vanished into the deep night.

The night hung heavy and gloomy, as if it had settled over Chen Wu's heart. He shivered and hurriedly shut the door.